Can-forming mechanism



June 1 1926.

V. MAUCK CAN FORMING MECHANI SM Filed August 25. 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG].

I N VE NTO R #200,? MAI/CK,

V. MAUCK CAN FORMING MECHANISM June 1 1926. 1,587,169

Filed August 23. 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 i N E NTO R Warez AW; l/(CK June 1 1926.

V. MAUCK CAN FORMING MECHANI SM 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed August 25, 1921 Patented June 1, 1926.

UNITED STATES VICTOR MAUCK, OF NORRISTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAN-FORMING MECHANISM.

Application filed August 23, 1921.

The mechanism and process herein described, are of the general character disclosed in my application Serial dis-61,274, fled April i l, 1921, for Letters Patent of the United States, but adaptd for more accurate and rapid production.

My invention is designed and adapted for the formation of cans used in the transiiortation and storage of ice cream. Such cans are used by wholesalers to deliver ice crean'i, water ice, frozen custards, etc., to retailers, and are used by the latter to hold such products while they are being d1spenscd; the emptied cans being thereafter returned to the wholesalers to be refilled and again distributed. Consequently, such cans must be extremely durable to withstand the rough handling, stresses and wear to which they are inevitably subjected. ldoreover, as such cans are retained in salt ice water to preserve their contents, their bodies must be permanently liquid tight, and, to prevent contamination of their con tents, they must be adapted to be substanti ally hermetically sealed by closures which can be instantly opened and shut, to facilitate dispensation of their contents. Furthermore, as it is customary to dispense ice cream and similar products by means of substantially hemispherical measuring scoops; such cans must be so designed that substantially all of their contents may be readily removed by such scoops.

'lherefore, the object and effect of my invention is to provide cans having the characteristics above contemplated. However, it vs to be understood that I do not desire to limit my invention to such specific use.

lily invention includes the various novel features of construction, arrangement. and procedure hereinafter specified.

In the drawings; Fig. I is a perspective view of a can embodying my invention and provided with a removable lid closure.

Fig. II is a vertical sectional view of the can and closure shown in Fig. I. showing the substantially sealed relation thereof.

Iiig. III is: a perspective view of a. sheet metal cylinder which is the blank from which the body of the can shown in Figs. I and II formed.

Fig. IV is a perspective view of a cylindrical ring of sheet metal which is the blank adapted to form the flange to support and seal said lid closure on the can body.

I V an elevation of the ring shown Serial No. 494,598.

formed can body with the completed flanged ring fitted upon the top thereof; the bottom of said body being flared to receive the bot tom plate.

Fig. VII is a diametrical sectional view of a bottom plate adapted to be fitted in the flared end of the can body shown in Fig. VI.

Fig. VIII is a diagrammatic axial sectional view of said can body, flanged ring and bottom plate; showing said bottom plate supported upon its spinning mandrel, and the opposite end of said body sup ported upon its expanding and supporting mandrel.

I Fig. IX is a fragmentary axial sectional view of said can body and bottom plate, similar to Fig. VIII, but showing the rim of the bottom plate partly spun over the bottom of the can.

X is a fragmentary sectional view of sul'istantially full size, showing the joint between the can body and the bottom plate as it exists in a finished can.

Fig. XI is a plan view of a spinning lathe and its appurtenances embodying my improvement in can forming mechanism and including hydraulically operative means for completing the formation upon the can of the flange ring shown in Fig. V.

Fig. XII is a front elevation of said spinn ng; lathe shown in Fi XI,

Referring to Figs. I X inclusive, which show a convenient form of ice cream can constructedin accordance with my invention; the can body 1 having the removable lid closure 2, conveniently provided with the rigid handle 3, is formed of primarily fiat sheet metal. A rectangular piece of such metal, conveniently low carbon steel, is first tent to the cylindrical blank form 5 indicated in III and then united at its abut;

ting edges 6, conveniently by an electric welding operation, to form a blank from which the body of a can such as shown in Figs. I and II is formed. A cylindrical ring 8 ofsheet metal, shown in Fig. IV, is similarly bent and united at its, abutting); edges 9 to COlISLltllIG a blankfrom which may be formed the flange ring 10, as a fixture upon said can body 1, as indicated in Fig. II. to support said lid closure 2 and substantially hermetically seal the oint between the bottom edge of said closure and the can, wiien in the position shown in Fig. II. Said flange ring blank is expanded, by a pressing operation, from the cylindrical form shown in IV to the form shown in F V; then pushed upon said cylindrical can blank until its upper edge is flush with the top of the latter. Thereupon, the expanded skirt 1] of said ring blank is pressed inwardly, against said blank 5 until it is curled to form the toric head 12 indicated in Figs. I, II, VI and VIII. 'lhat pressing operation constricts said ring bead 12 upon said can blank 5. However, I subsequently expand said can blank 5 within said flange ring 10, slightly stretching the metal of both of said parts, to insure that they shall thereafter remain in intimate contact. Such expansion is conveniently effected by thrusting the mandrel 13 into said blank 5, as indicated in F ig. VIII.

However, during the aforesaid operation of forming said bead 12 upon said can body 5; I find it convenient to expand the bottom edge of said blank 5 as indicated at L1 in F VI, so that said blank will readily fit over the bottom plate 15 as shown in Fig. VIII.

Said bottom plate 15 is also formed from primarily flat sheet metal, by pressing operations which first cut a circular disk of such metal and then distort it to the cylindrical form shown in Fig. VII. It is to be particularly noted that the circumferential edge 16 of the cylindrical portion 17 of said bottom plate 15, which is presented upwardly in the can against the inner face of the cylindrical wall of the latter as shown in Figs. VIII, IX and X, is substantially sharp so that there is no crevice formed at the junction of said blanks 5 and 15. The flared lower edge 1 1- of said blank 5 is then constricted upon said cylindrical portion 17 of the bottom plate, as shown in Fig. VIII. Thereafter, the primarily plane annular flange 18 of said bottom plate 15 is bent over the adjacent edge of said can body blank 5, first, as indicated in full lines in Fig. IX, and, finally. to the form shown in Fig. X wherein said annular flange 18 of the bottom plate 15 is cylindrical and in contact with the outer surface of the cylindrical wall of the can body 1; the cylindrical portion 17 of said bottom plate being likewise in contact with the inner surface of said cylindrical wall of the can body 1. As hereinafter described, I find it convenient to thus distort said bottom plate flange 18 while spinning it upon the mandrel 19 held under pressure in opposition to said mandrel 13; while said mandrels and 11) are rotated in coaxial relation.

Finally, said can body 1 is coated, all over, with a film of some material capable of resisting the corrosive effect of water upon the ferric metal parts of the can above described. For instance, I find it convenient to coat the can with such a film 20 of block tin, as indicated in Fig. X, so that the entire surfaces of said can 1 and its closure are smoothly continuous and, coi'isequently, may be readily cleaned by washing them.

My copending application aforesaid includes claims for various combinations of the mechanism above contemplated and the process wnereby the top of the can blank 5 and its ring 10 are expanded, and the bottom of the can constricted upon its bottom plate 15 and the flange 18 of the latter constricted upon said can body as ab vc described. Although there are various other novel features of procedure in the construction of the can above described; the claims in this case are limited to the mechanism and process whereby said ring 10 is compressed and slightly swaged upon the can, and the latter dislodged from its mandrel.

Said mechanism is shown in Figs. XI and X I wherein 21 is the base frame supporting the stationary head stock 22 having bearin 23 and 24 for the spindle 9.5 which carries at its inner end said mandrel 19 above described with reference to F ig. V III and carries the gear wheel 26, whereby said spindle my be rotated. I find it convenient to drive said gear 26 by engagement with the gear L? on the counter shaft 29 which is mounted in the bearings 30 and 31 on the pedestal Said shaft 29 carries at its outer end the axially movable clutch collar 34 which is keyed to slide upon said shaft 29 and may be operated by the hand lever to engage and disengage the crown clutch members 35; on the hub of the gear 39 which is mounted to loosely rotate on said shaft 29 when said clutch collar 3st is disconnected therefrom. Said gear 39 engages the driving gear 40 on the armature shaft 11 of the electric motor l2; so that said motor may drive said lathe spindle 25 when said clutch mechanism is engaged.

Said base frame 21, supports the tail stock 15 which may be adjusted thereon by means of the crank 16 which is at the outer end of the shaft 17 which carries the gear wheel 48 in engagement with the rack 19 on said tail stock. However, for the purpose herein contemplated, said tail stock 15 is held in stationary position upon said base frame 21, conveniently by two opposite bolts 50, one of which is shown in F ig. XII.

Said tail-stock has the bearings 51 and 52 for the thrust plunger 53 which carries at its front end the idle spindle upon which said mandrel 13, above described with reference to Fig. VIII, is rotatable. As indicated in XII; said thrust plunger 53 extends through the stuffing box 56 into the chamber 57 in the casing 58 and may be thrust forward under pressure of water or other motor fluid admitted to said "chamber 57. Said casing 58 has, in axial alinement with said chamber 57, a second chamber, 60, which is slightly smaller in diameter than said chamber 57 and in which the retracting plunger 61 is mounted to reciprocate through the stufiing boir 62 Said retracting plunger 61 is provided with a cross head 6-1 which, as best shown in Fig. X1, is connected by the tension rods 65 with the cross head 67 which is adjustably connected with .said thrust plunger 53, conveniently by means of the set screw 68 which engages a screw thread in said yoke. The arrangement above described is such that said thrust plunger 53 and retracting plunger 61 are yoked together so that when said plunger 53 is thrust forward, it carries with it said plunger 61, and when said plunger 61 is retracted, it retracts said thrust plunger 53. Such reciprocatory movement of said plungers is conveniently effected by two threeuvay valves suitably connected with the pipes 7 O and 71 which are respectively in communication with said chambers 57 and 60 as indicated in Fig. XII. It is to be understood, that the arrangement is such that the motor fluid may be alternately admitted and exhausted through said pipes and 71, to shift said mandrel 13 toward and away from said mandrel 19.

Said base frame 21 has the bracket 73 carrying the longitudinal slide bed 74: upon which the longitudinal slide 75 is mount ed to be reciprocated by the screw 76 having the hand wheel 77. Said longitudinal slide 75 carries the cross slid-e 79 which may be shifted transversely to the axis which is common to said lathe spindles 25 and 55, by the screw 80 provided with the hand wheel 81. Said cross sli-de'79 carries the bearing block 83 provider with the stud shaft 84; on which the .spinning roller 85 is mounted to rotate idly. It is to be understood that the construction and arrangement of said slides is such that said spinning roller 85 may be shifted toward and away from the common axis of rotation of said mandrels 13 and 19 and also shifted in either direction of the length of said mandrel 19. By manipulating both of said hand wheels 77 and 81 simultaneously, a compound adjustment of the position of said spinning roller 85 may be eii'ected. That is to say, said roller 85 may be simultaneously thrust toward said mandrel 19 and shifted endwise with respect to the latter.

Said base frame 21 also has the bracket 87 carrying the casing 88, which is similar to the casing 58 aforesaid in that it is arranged to actuate the thrust plunger 89 and the retracting plunger 91 which are coupled by the tension rods 93 extending from the cross head 9-1, carried by said thrust plunger 89,

to the yoke 95 carried by said retracting plunger 91. Said plungers 89 and 91 are mounted to reciprocate in separate chambers in said casing 88, like the plungers 53 and 61 above described with reference to Fig. XII; so that when said plunger 89 is thrust forward, it carries with it said plunger 91, and when said plunger 91 is retracted, it retracts said thrust plunger 89. Said cross head 9 1 carries the spinning roller 97 which is mounted to rotate idly therein and the arrangement is such that said roller 97 may be moved back and forth, transversely to the axis of rotation of said spinning mandrels 13 and 19 to compress and slightly swage said ring 10 upon the can. However, to facilitate the operation of shifting said spinning roller 97 toward and away from said ring 10, I prefer to provide said casing 88 with the pipe 98 through which a fluid, for instance such as compressed water, is constantly supplied to said chamber in which said plunger 91 is mounted to reciprocate in said casing 88 with a tendency to retract said plunger 91, and carry said spinning roller 97 away from the can; adjustment of said roller toward the can being effected by fluid pressure applied through the pipe 100. That is to say, when the pres sure in the pipe leading to the chamber in which said plunger 89 is mounted to reciprocate is greater than the pressure in the pipe 98, said plunger 89 is thrust toward the can, to press the spinning roller 97 against said ring 10, but, when said pressure in the pipe 100 is diminished, it may be counter balanced, or ov-erbalanced, by the constant pressure in the pipe 98 so that the position of said spinning roller 97 and the pressure under which it is maintained in a given position may be directly determined by the operator having control of said pipe 19 conveniently by means of an ordinary two-way valve leading from a supply of pressure fluid and to an exhaust outlet.

The niiechanisni above described may be operated follows: Said mandrel 1.9 be ing stationary; a can bottom plate 15 may be fitted thereon, as indicated in I ig. VIII. Said mandrel 13 being retracted, from the position shown in the drawings, toward the right; a can body blank 5, having its bottom edge flared as indicated at 11 in Fig. VI, may be manually fitted upon said bottom plate 15'on said mandrel 19 far enough to engage the latter, about one-half of the length of the cylindrical portion 17 of said can bottom 15, and theopposite end of said can body 5 be held in axial alinement with said mandrel 13. Thereupon, motor fluid is admitted through said pipe 70 to said chamber of the thrust plunger 53, to thrust the latter forward to the position shown in the drawings, thereby thrusting said mandrel 13 into saidcan body 5 and expanding the latter into tight engagement with its flange ring 10, as shown in Fig. VIII, and simultaneously thrusting said ca, body to full extent upon said eylindri al portion 17 ot the can bottom as shown in Fig. Vlll However, the flared bottom edge of said body 5 then ()CCl piesthe position shown in dotted lines in 771T Thereupon, saio a spin the bottom flange 18 e ror 1 r 11 i v 1' tieicor as aooi e esei eed. irow high pressure ieccssa or-1e tr e :i

4 l drel l3 and can in Fiat VH1 plunger the 1r c ion incident to tation would he r ry great. iher order to relieve the r t essrry friction and yet maintain drels 13 and 19 in the operation of spinning said tla n operator also adnnts nrid through the pipe 'tlv plunger to r pressure upon said thrust pa a? a. the result that pressure of the motor flu d then efiectire to hold the parts in the relative position shown in .Qia'. VH1 is merely that incident to the dille e dr me e:

r nc between said thrust plunger a tractmg plunger 60 and merely SlfluClQl ing the spinning operation.

'lfhereupom t operator shifts the clutch lever on right in Fig. Kl so that the normally loose gear 39 is rigidly connected with the l r ter shaft- 29 to positively turn the so] idle Li) and mandrel 19 in the direction of 0 ar- 1 r J. row marked thereon in Fig. 1-1 and thus positively turn the can blanrc 5 with sine mandrel 2 in. as anore described. wmle said parts are thus hr n rotated an operator mampulates said Then hand wheels 74 as to ivresent the spinning roller Sei the flared edge l i: of the can blanl: press the same invardl r to cylindrical and in contact w'th the cylindrical portion 17 of said bottom plate 15 as indicated in Fig. VH1. l hereatter the operator nanipulates said wheels '4'? and Si so as to cause said mini; roller to oend said s i of the bottom flange 18, plane shown in dotted lines in his.

the inclined position shown in full lines in said tlana' ig. IX, and proceeds to spin 18 to the cylindrical l'orm show; in contact with the outer snr'" blank 5, thus completing the bottom in; operation.

Contemporaneously with the bottom a ning operation aforesaid, another operator admits pressure through pipe to thrust said spinning roller 97 against the flange ring 10 to compress and swage the latter into the precise relation with the can which is desired. It is the purpose and effect of the latter spinning operation to not only insure that the eda'e of said ring 10 toward the bottom ot the can shall he brought into intimate contact with the side of the can but also to swaa'e the metal of said ring to form a slight iillet at that ed so that the can may be more readi Y cleaned than it a i at crevice or an abrupt angle were formed the iunction oii that bottom edge of the ri: 3; 10 with the can body.

lhereupon in order to release the can thus con'ipleted, from its engagement with the mandrels 13 and 19, as shown in Fig. VH1, the operator opens the pipe 70 to exhaust, whereupon, the fluid pressure rein; ining upon the retr: eting; plunger 61. re tracts the latter, with said thrust plunger 53, to withdraw said mandrel 13 from the can 1 and permit the latter to be manually removed from said mandrel 19. however. I find it conrenient o facilitate such re nzoral h 1 providing said mandrel 13 with a series rods 102, whicln when said ,1 fl 1 v, V J. r spindle is 1 its retracted by the thrust plunder enqwunter the )late 1023 which 1 abuts against said nearing ol, so that said rods 102 push against the top edge of the :an 1, where it 1 reinforced by the ring 10 and dislodge the can fr 11 said mandrel 3. Thereafter the can 1 thus com 'ileted may be coated with a composition adapted to resist corrosion and be provided with a lid 2 as above conten'iplated.

It may observed that the mechanism shown in Figs. II and XII has the capacity for operation both a press and as a spinning lathe. However, I do not desire to limit myself to the particular method of operation thereof ahore described, as, of course, it may be otherwise use cl. lilorcorer, modilications may he made in the various details ct construcrimi and arrangement of the meclnunsm, withoutv departing from the cssentiu features of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim 1. The combination with a base frame; of a head-stock mounted on said tame; a spindle journaled in said head-stock; means arranged to rotate said spindle, including a clutch mechanism; a mandrel on said spindle adapted to hold a can bottom plate; a tail-stock on said base frame; a thrust plunger mounted to reciprocate in said tailstock, in axial alinement with said spindle; mandrel mounted to rotate at the inner end of said thrust plunger and arranged to engage the top of a can; a circiunterential sefies or push rods carried with the last-named mandrel and arranged to automatically dislodge a can from said mandrel when the latter is retracted; means arranged to reciprolllll cate said thrust plunger; a conical spinning roller mounted to rotate on an axis parallel with the common axis of said mandrels; means supported by said base frame, arranged to shift said roller, transversely to its axis, toward and away from said mandrel axis, and axially longitudinally with respect thereto, whereby the rim of said bottom plate may be spun over the bottom edge of said can; another spinning roller mounted to rotate on an axis parallel with the common axis of said mandrels, having its perimeter adapted to swage a flange ring on said can; and means, supported by said base frame, arranged to shift the last-named roller toward and away from said mandrel axis, including a thrust plunger, a retracting plunger, and tension rods connecting said plungers for simultaneous reciprocation; said plungers being adapted to be actuated by fluid pressure.

2. The combination with a base frame; of a head stock mounted on said frame; a spindle journaled in said head stock; means arranged to rotate said spindle; a mandrel on said spindle adapted to hold a can bottom plate; atail stock on said base frame; a thrust plunger mounted to reciprocate in said tail stock, in axial alinement with said spindle; a mandrel mounted to rotate at the inner end of said thrust plunger and arranged to engage the top of the can; means arranged to automatically dislodge a can from said mandrel when the latter is retracted; means arranged to reciprocate said thrustplunger; a spinning roller, mounted to rotate on an axis parallel with the common axis of said mandrels; means supported by said base frame, arranged to shift said roller, transversely to its axis, toward and away from said mandrel axis, and axially longitudinally with respect thereto; whereby the rim of a bottom plate may be spun over the bottom edge of said can; another spinning roller, mounted to rotate on an axis parallel with the common axis of said mandrels;

having its perimeter adapted to swage a flange ring on said can; and means, support ed by said base frame, arranged to shift the last named roller, toward and away from said mandrel axis, including a thrust plunger, a retracting plunger and tension rods connecting said plungers for simultaneous reciprocation; said plungers being adapted to be actuated by fluid pressure.

3. The combination with a base frame; of a head stock mounted on said frame; a spindle j r naled in said head stock; means arranged to rotate said spindle; a mandrel on said spindle adapted to hold a can bottom plate; a tail stock on said base frame; a thrust plunger mounted to reciprocate in said tail stock, in axial alinement with said spindle; a mandrel mounted to rotate at the inner end of said thrust plunger and arranged to engage the top of the can; means arranged to reciprocate said thrust plunger; a spinning roller, mounted to rotate on an axis parallel with the common axis of said mandrels; means supported by said base frame, arranged to shift said roller, transversely to its axis, toward and away from said mandrel axis, and axially longitudinally with respect thereto; whereby the rim of said bottom plate may be spun over the bottom edge of said can; another spinning roller mounted to rotate on an axis parallel with the common axis of said mandrelsy having its perimeter adapted to swage a flange ring on said can; and means, supportedby said base frame, arranged to shift the last named roller, toward and away from said mandrel axis, including a thrust plunger, a retracting plunger and tension rods connecting said plungers for simultaneous reciprocation; said plungers being adapted to be actuated by fluid pressure.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name at Los Angeles, California, this thirteenth day of August, 1921.

v c'ron MAUCK. 

